On Spinner's End
by hmweasley
Summary: Ever since returning from the dark universe where Voldemort reigned, Scorpius has felt thankful to Severus Snape, though he's never been sure if he should. Several years later, he and Albus visit Snape's grave in the hope that Scorpius can finally settle the matter for himself.


**Content notice: mention of the past killing of a dog**

 **A/N: This is Cursed Child compliant and takes place several years after the events of the play. I didn't work this directly into the text (aside from Scorpius and Albus being able to Apparate), but I imagine them as being around 17 here.**

* * *

Scorpius and Albus appeared on Spinner's End with a pop, and Scorpius was immediately sure there had been a mistake. The street in front of them was deserted, and all of the houses looked like they'd sat abandoned for the better part of a decade. The sun had faded them with time, making the neighborhood look like it was look like it was disappearing.

He glanced around for a street sign, but Albus placed a hand on his arm before he could get far in his search.

"I think this is it," he said. "My dad did say that we shouldn't expect much."

Harry had, in fact, said that, but the rundown neighborhood in front of them hadn't been what Scorpius had pictured when Harry had stressed that they wouldn't find 'much'. He had pictured small but cozy houses, a lazy town where not much happened, perhaps, but somewhere where people still lived comfortably. This was not that.

"Did Snape really grow up here?" Scorpius asked in disbelief, his eyes scanning the houses around them for signs of inhabitants.

"Really gives you some perspective on why he was terrible, huh?"

Scorpius didn't respond, too busy watching a cat that he'd discovered slinking around a yard. The thing was skinny to the point that Scorpius hoped it was a stray and not a pet.

"Come on," Albus urged, taking him by the shoulder and turning him around. "I see the cemetery this way."

* * *

The graveyard that sat on Spinner's End was a small one, and most of the graves had been standing for at least a century, according to the dates etched in the stones. It was easy to find the newest tombstone, and when they did, they weren't surprised to find 'Severus Snape' carved across it. His seemed to be the only one added in the past decade. The years hadn't been kind to the others. To the side of Snape rested his parents, whose graves weren't better cared for than any of those around them. Scorpius wondered if Snape had bothered to clean them during his lifetime.

Conjuring a bouquet from his wand, Scorpius laid the flowers at the base of the tombstone, feeling self-conscious until Albus rested a hand on his shoulder.

Scorpius cleared his throat and did his best to put into words what he'd been thinking since he'd returned from the dark universe where Voldemort controlled everything.

"Hello, Mr Snape. I know that I never knew you. At least not really. I knew an alternate you, but that's not the same thing, is it? You didn't know me at all. Unless you're somewhere where you can look down at earth and see what's going on, but then you still probably wouldn't care enough about me to pay attention. Or maybe you would since Albus is my best friend, and he's named after you. So maybe you would know me. I don't know."

Albus squeezed his shoulder, and Scorpius took a deep breath, trying to focus on what was actually important.

"Even if it wasn't _you_ you who helped me in that alternate universe, I felt like I should thank you somehow for getting me back here to our universe, so I hope you like the flowers, even though you probably wouldn't. I didn't know what else I could give a dead person. You can't really use anything."

The rustling of grass made him pause. Turning around, he saw a middle-aged woman approaching them, her brow creased as she watched them. Scorpius stood, angling himself behind Albus as she got closer. Her eyes flickered down to Snape's grave briefly, narrowing, before she focused her gaze on the boys.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, putting her fists on her hips.

"Visiting a grave," Albus said slowly. "He's a family friend."

The woman leaned around them in an exaggerated way to look at Snape's grave again.

"If that's the family friend, then he must have been a shitty friend," she said. "I knew him as a boy. He killed my dog. Sure, there was never any evidence, and my parents never believed me, but you better believe I know it was him. He was always good for nothing. Did your family all go to that hoity toity boarding school he disappeared off to?"

Her gaze was sharp, and Scorpius knew she would be the type to dissect any answer they gave. She wasn't one of the usual Muggles who quickly dismissed anything that didn't fit make logical sense to them. Scorpius wondered why, exactly, Snape had killed her dog. Because something told him that she was right about that.

"Uh, yeah," Albus said. "We did kind of all go there."

The woman's eyes narrowed. Scorpius grasped Albus' hand and began tugging him away from the woman and Snape's grave.

"We should get going," he said to Albus, voice shaking even as he plastered a smile on his face. "Your parents are expecting us back."

It wasn't a lie, but he rushed Albus out of the cemetery with an unnecessary vigor, his cheeks flaming from embarrassment as the woman watched them flee.

* * *

"Scorpius."

Albus hurried after his best friend, struggling to reach him. He wasn't in good shape, and that was becoming increasingly obvious as Scorpius showed no sign of slowing down. The fact that Scorpius was heading straight down Spinner's End without knowing where it led drove Albus to keep going.

"Scorpius!"

The sharpness of his tone was finally enough to break through to Scorpius, who came to a stop and whirled around. His eyes frantically glanced around as if searching for onlookers. He needn't have bothered. Aside from the one woman they'd met in the cemetery, there was no one along the street.

"It's okay," Albus said slowly, taking a step forward and holding out his hand. When Scorpius gripped it tightly, Albus could breathe a little easier. Scorpius, on the other hand, showed no signs of calming down. He shook his head frantically from side-to-side.

"You don't understand," he said, choking on the words. "That other universe, it was so scary, Albus. I've never been more terrified in my life, and I don't think I ever will be in the future. When we fought Delphi, at least we were together, but there, I was all alone. And Snape helped me get back to you and Dad and everyone else."

Albus took a step forward, wrapping an arm around Scorpius and rubbing his hand along his back.

"I know it wasn't the real Snape," Scorpius continued. "Not really, but he still helped me, and I wanted to thank him for that somehow. But whenever I think about things, I don't know if I should be thanking him at all. I mean, he murdered that woman's dog, and that's fucked up.

"I know my dad—" Scorpius choked over his words; Albus pulled him closer, squeezing his waist. "I know my dad was a Death Eater too, but he hardly used his wand on anyone. It doesn't excuse it, but… I think about what Snape probably did for all those years, and I feel like I shouldn't be grateful towards him, but I can't help but be a little thankful. Even when this universe's Snape isn't really the one who helped me."

Albus tried to ignore the pain in his heart over how distraught Scorpius looked.

"Nothing's black and white, I guess," Albus said quietly. "Snape does seem to have been pretty shitty to be honest, but he did help you. You're allowed to be grateful for that."

Scorpius didn't answer, just buried his face in Albus' shoulder, gripping his jumper tightly as he shivered.

"Can we go somewhere where we don't have to see anyone else for a while?" he asked, voice muffled by Albus' shirt.

"Sure," Albus said. "How about the garden at your family's manor?"

Scorpius' nod against his shoulder was all the prompting Albus needed to disappear with a pop.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - faded

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Days of the Year: Do Something Nice Day - write about someone doing something nice and it not turning out well

Word count: 1,326


End file.
